Reviews by Morris729:

Pours a deep rusty orange-amber color with a short white head that fades into a heavy lace. Nose is sweet dark malt and floral hopsthe aroma really opens up after the beer warms a bit. Full-bodied, almost chewy mouthfeel. Taste is sweet fruit and malt along with a strong hop presencemore so than in your typical barley wine. The alcohol is well hidden considering the ABV. Very enjoyable, but watch out as the alcohol sneaks up on you. (440 characters)

More User Reviews:

Had this one tap at the gingerman in Austin. A 2006 keg tapped in 2008. I haven't had a lot o beer with age on it especially beers like barelywine which people recommend laying down for a while. I understand why you do it now. Old Treehugger was like nothing I've tasted. It smelled like dates, caramel, and vanilla with some mild hops(little piney) as well. The taste was a huge blast of caramel and vanilla with the fruit smells fading back and the hops coming forward. Very balanced between the strong sweet flavors and the piney hops. Creamy in the mouth and the alcohol gave the sensation of warmth in the mouth in a great way. Only had a half pint and savored it the whole time. There are more subtle flavors (slightly fruity) that I couldn't describe but really enjoyed. It became more complex as it warmed. I hope Live Oak makes this again. It's really something special. (879 characters)

On tap at the Whip In in Austin. Not sure of the vintage, but I think it is at least a couple of years old.

The beer pours a dark brownish-red color with a tan head. The aroma is a mix of dark fruit and caramel malt - exactly what you would expect from a barleywine. The flavor is chocolate, caramel, dark fruit and some alcohol. The beer is slightly boozy and is very sweet. I also get the slightest bit of tobacco in the beer. Medium mouthfeel and medium carbonation. Glad I got to try this one. (499 characters)

Low carbonation but not inappropriate for the style. The tiny bubbles that group like little galaxies. Dense.

With a small amount of liquid, color is of a cognac; an amber-copper that reflects the light beautifully. Thick yet brilliant clarity. With a bigger pour, noticeably darker than most barleywines, but not roasty.

Aroma is of maple and nuttiness. Toffee-like English malt flavours. Smells of some of the intricacies of an aged rum or Cognac, but without the harshness.

On tap served in a snifter @ Cottonwood. Man I love this beer, too bad its rarely brewed. I believe the keg is two years old! Ringing in at 14%

A beautiful deep amber color, light creamy head. The nose is of caramel, toffee, and brown sugar. Taste is full of caramel, slight hint of vanilla, and some charred orange. Nice and thick on the mouth feel. Its perfect for the chillier months. A great sipper and my opinion the best Barleywine brewed in TX! Though I love Sisyphus from Real Ale aged, this one tops even that. Cheers (527 characters)

Man, oh man, this was a spectacular barleywine. Thank you Chad, for letting me know that the Gingerman was going to tap the one keg they had left. I owe you buddy.

As far as I can tell, this keg was from late 2006. Time has treated this brew extremely well.

Served in a half pint glass.

Appearance - It is a deep caramel amber brown color, comletely transparent. It is produced a single finger head that had amazing retention - it left a ton of lacing behind.

Smell - The nose on this brew is awesome. It smells of rum raisin, pear, and booze with a HUGE vanilla and caramel scent. It has a very slight hop scent at the end, which is somewhat piney.

Taste - The flavor is as equally appealing as the scent, and they smell and taste exactly the same. It is an equal mix of booze, malt and hops in perfect balance with one another - the way a barleywine should taste.

Mouthfeel - This beer is definitely full bodied. It leaves both a sticky and oily feel in the mouth. The carbonation level is awesome - not too low to feel flat, and not to lively to detract from the flavor.

Drinkability - The drinkability is nothing short of awesome. I have heard that Live Oak doesn't have any plans to make this one again, and I seriously hope that isn't true. This is probably my favorite barleywine to date, and I have been to the Gingerman three times this week just to make sure that I get my fill of it before it disappears. I suggest that you do the same. (1,457 characters)

The best way to describe this beer is full of flavor! This brew has more hops and malt than anything I have tasted in a long time, if not the most flavorful beer ever. While that is a good thing, it has its limitation in the the fact that the taste is actually a little overkill in my opinion. The sip starts off with a huge amount of malt sweetness from several different kinds of fruit flavors that fades to a very bitter, spicy hop flavor to balance everything out. All throughout, a good amount of alcholol flavor is present. The alcholol is so strong that if I inhaled at all while sipping, it somewhat burnt my nose. I have to give the brewers at Live Oak credit for being able to balance such a huge beer.

I will admit, I am normally not a huge fan of a beer this strong (normally doppel bock is about as strong as I enjoy), but this beer is one awesome brew that is defenitely not for the faint hearted. The only reason for my somewhat lower rating on taste would be that in my opinion, the malt and hops are just out of wack, as they simply come on too much for the beer to be enjoyed the whole time I drank it. The flavor and amount of body is simply overwhelming, and for anybody that wants to be warmed on a cold day or just have a beer that is simply overwhelming but fairly drinkable, this would be a good choice. (1,371 characters)